


FanCon, fortunes and feelings

by justme (silver_spring)



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, I'm really bad at titles, for the advent calendar, not christmas themed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28052337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_spring/pseuds/justme
Summary: BFFs Jaime and Brienne are going to FanCon. Unexpected things happen. Feelings are made known.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 28
Kudos: 86





	FanCon, fortunes and feelings

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution for the advent calendar over at JBO. It's not christmasy at all, but it is what I spontaneously came up with after claiming this day in the calendar yesterday.

Two months of planning. Getting the time off work because it was during the week, holding back with impromptu purchases to have more money to possibly buy all kinds of exclusive merch with, booking motel rooms for the weekend, printing out travel instructions from mapz4dayz (just to be safe), making plans for driving shifts, and finally, packing. At times, it had felt as if the organisation of the whole trip was already sucking out the fun of attending _FanCon_ before it had even begun, but now the big day was here. Today, Brienne and her best friend Jaime were finally going to have their roadtrip to Harrenhal to attend the biggest convention for all things nerdy, geeky and wonderful, their chosen fandom included. Well, if he would finally come by to pick her up, anyway. Brienne wanted to check her watch again, but it was pretty much impossible to do what with holding a travel mug of coffee in each hand. Just as she was ready to put them down on the steps leading into her building to whip out her phone and text Jaime, his car finally came into view at the end of the street and a short moment later it stopped in front of her.

"Heya!" Jaime greeted after turning off the motor and getting out.

"Good morning. I was already worried you'd overslept," Brienne said, handing Jaime one of the mugs which he accepted with a thankful nod, taking a sip.

"What do you mean?" He protested. "I'm right on time. We said 5. It's 5."

"I'm sure somewhere it is. In our time zone it's almost 5:30," Brienne corrected.

"Still begins with a 5, doesn't it?" Jaime grinned, "Relax, we're still on time."

"Okay. Fine. If you say so. Now, are you sure you've packed everything from the list I texted you?"

"It's not my first time leaving town, Bee."

"I know. That's why I texted you a list. You have a tendency to forget essentials."

"I have everything. I think... No, I know...Damn, now you're making me insecure."

"I don't think it's possible for you to be insecure," Brienne said, thrusting her travel mug at Jaime who took it out of reflex more than anything else, before grabbing the handle of her suitcase and rolling it towards the back of his car to stow it away in the trunk.

"You'd be surprised," Jaime called after her.

"After all this time, I don't think there's much left you could surprise me with," Brienne laughed.

Jaime and her had met almost a year ago, on an online forum devoted to the most amazing, interesting, complex and captivating movie franchise ever (in their humble opinion anyway): _The Seven Knights_. They'd gotten to talk over a character that most fans didn't pay too much attention to. Alysanne, a woman warrior that wasn't built after popular female warrior stereotypes, meaning she didn't traipse around the medieval kingdom of Terranuova with barely any clothes on and huge knockers on almost display. Alysanne wore sturdy armor and every battle she'd fought had left traces on her face and body. Many fans discounted her abilities as a fighter, persisting in calling her survival for six movies so far as sheer luck by having gone up against (and beating) male fighters when they weren't at their best, but both Jaime and Brienne were convinced she was going to become the, as of yet unknown, seventh knight in the last installment, coming to theaters later this year. He'd read Brienne's essay on Alysanne, adding a few good points and disagreeing in other places, and it hadn't been all that long before private messages had started going back and forth between them, over times more and more including things that didn't have anything to do with _TSK_. When they'd discovered by accident that they both lived in King's Landing, they'd met for coffee and Brienne had been pleased to find out that whatever clicked between them in their emails also was there in real life. They got along wonderfully, went for dinners, to the movie theater to see other films, to the gym, or just hung out and had a great time, and now barely a day went by when they didn't see each other, even if it was only via facetime. They'd truly become best friends in no time.

Truth to be told, Brienne meanwhile had a hard time remembering a life without Jaime. He was a pretty good, exuberant counterweight to her sometimes shyness, he had a lightning-quick wit and was, not counting the occasional brainfart, quite smart. Where she could be exact to the point of being pedantic, he was a 'fly by the seat' kind of guy with a little chaos following him. Her own life had definitely become a lot more fun and exciting ever since they'd met. Not that there was anything wrong with the way things had been before; Brienne had never been keen on being the life of the party, so to speak, and was quite happy with her job as an assistant librarian, but getting to know Jaime had definitely brought some adventure into her world. Some heartache too, since it hadn't taken long for Brienne to develop serious feelings for him that she knew would never be reciprocated, what with him looking the way he did (model material) and her looking the way she did (definitely not model material), but most of the time she was pretty good at putting those feelings in a dusty corner of her mind when he was around.

"So, you cool with driving the first leg or do you want me to begin?" Jaime asked once she had put her suitcase away.

"I'll drive for two hours, and then you can take over. Just like the plan says," Brienne said, getting into the car on the driver's side. The fact that she and Jaime were almost of the same size, her being taller a little less than 2 inches, meant they wouldn't have to adjust mirrors and the seat again and again.

"Can I still pick the music? I put together a playlist." Jaime asked, putting their coffees in the cup holders before buckling up.

"Uh..sure. Just check the traffic reports every now and then; we don't want to be caught in a jam."

"Awesome!" Jaime began fiddling with the stereo and soon after the first chords of an 80s power ballad filled the car. Brienne threw him a quick look once she had pulled away from the curb.

"I thought you were more into alternative stuff. You know, screeching guitars and all that?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes not. Anyway, it's just songs to sing along with while we drive because everyone knows them. Even you."

"I'm not singing along to _Rough Boy_."

"See? You know the songs. Don't worry; plenty of opportunity to sing along with me later."

"Please, don't be singing along either."

"I have an amazing singing voice, thank you." And he set out to try and prove just that, try being the significant word in the context. Of all the things Jaime was good at, singing definitely was not on the list. Brienne was very glad when it was time to switch to the traffic reports for a reprieve.

***

Once they had finally made it to the convention center about eight hours, three bathroom breaks and a lunch later, parked the car, and gotten their accreditation in form of a blue plastic bracelet each, Brienne's ears were almost ringing. Jaime had not let up, singing along to everything. From _Rough Boy_ to _The Way You Make Me Feel_ and _Blue Eyes_ to _Hello, I love you, Love me do_ and everything else. If she didn't know better, Brienne might've been inclined to think that he had met someone and that this meeting had seriously influenced his playlist-making. But Jaime would've told her had that been the case, and anyway, here and now was definitely not the place to think about that topic. She was here to have a fun weekend, not throw a little (or big) pity party for herself because her unrequited crush was likely to soon have a girlfriend that wasn't her.

"Wow, look at that!" Jaime said with more than a little awe in his voice, when they finally walked through the doors to the exposition hall, pulling Brienne and her thoughts back to the present. As she let her gaze wander, she could only nod. This was brilliant!

Giant videowalls to the left and to the right were showing scenes from popular shows, video games and movies, interspersed with announcements for panels and special events. There were booths dedicated to just about everything that would make a nerd's heart beat faster: colorful posters, exclusive shirts, dolls, paintings and all kinds of other merch. Cosplayers were sauntering around, posing for photos with other convention goers, and from the speakers all around the hall came the epic soundtrack of The Seven Knights. Good thing they were going to be here for the whole weekend, because there was no way they'd get to check out everything today in the time left.

"So, where to first?" Jaime asked. Brienne opened the small map with the layout of the hall that she'd grabbed at the entrance, checking to see where the section for their fandom was. But then she put it away again. Now that they were here, she didn't want to solely focus on The Seven Knights. There was so much to see and who knew, maybe she could find another interest.

"You know what? Let's just go clockwise. We should make it around halfway today, and then we can check out the rest tomorrow when we come back. There are no panels for Knights today anyway."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go."

Only that Jaime didn't move, merely held out his hand.

"Uh, what's that supposed to be?" Brienne asked.

"So that we don't lose each other, duh. Did you never learn the buddy system in elementary school?"

"Jaime, I'm 6'3''. It's pretty hard for me to not be seen. Trust me, I've tried lots of times."

"Okay, fine, but what if I get lost? Hmm? Do we want that to happen? No. Just..indulge me, Bee, will you?"

Well, there were certainly worse things in the world than having to hold Jaime's hand. Still, Brienne put her own into his with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, just because. When they were sufficiently connected, Jaime finally stepped forward and they began their slow walk from booth to booth, beginning to take it all in in more detail.

An hour later, Brienne had already spent 100 dragons on merchandise she didn't really need, but really wanted nevertheless. There was a tote bag slung over the shoulder of her free arm that was getting heavier the further they delved into the hall, filled with a new travel mug, keyrings, graphic novels and a set of coasters. Jaime had so far restrained himself very well, only bought himself a tshirt that said _Seventh Knight_ with an arrow pointing towards his head and a big foam hand with the catchphrase of his favorite character from the movies, Arthur, saying _'The Gods made me do it'_ that he now was proudly wearing on the hand that wasn't still holding on to Brienne's. They'd seen several Alysannes, Arthurs and Duncans stroll by, the costumes so well-done and detailed they could've been originals from the movie productions, and taken selfies with them.

It was a great day. Until, after taking a group picture with all six knights, the mood took a serious nosedive.

"What the hell?" Brienne exclaimed angrily when she suddenly felt a hand on her behind. Whirling around, she came face to face with a cosplayer dressed as a wight that had not been here a moment ago. The make up he'd used to make his skin the blueish-grey tone of the wights clashed horribly with his red bushy beard and hair. He was quite tall, although not as tall as her, and was looking at her with something Brienne couldn't categorize as anything but a leer.

"Gotta move in close together to get us all into the frame, no?" The man in a wight costume smirked, "Come here, you big woman. I won't bite. Unless you want me to."

"Who do you thi--" Brienne began, but Jaime who had witnessed the whole exchange, interrupted.

"The fuck are you doing?" Without waiting for an actual answer, he moved past Brienne and shoved the wight backwards. The guy stumbled, but managed to keep his balance.

"You don't touch her, ever." The words might have had more impact had Jaime not pointed with his hand, the one that was covered in golden foam. As it was, the groping wight just snorted.

"Relax, bro," he said, raising his hands in a placating manner.

"I'm not your bro!" Jaime replied icily.

"It's just fun and games, we're at FanCon."

"Oh, fun and games it is, yeah? Laugh at that!" And without further ado, Jaime stepped forward and let his foam-covered hand land smack dab on the groper's face. It wasn't much of a slap in terms of impact, but the message was clear. It defintely was enough to wipe the smirk off the wight's face.

"Not so funny now, is it?" Jaime taunted.

"You want to have a go?" The guy replied, stepping forward, all humor gone.

"Anytime, anyplace," Jaime said heatedly, getting ready to take off the foam hand.

"Jaime! Stop it!" Brienne called, finally intervening and grabbing her irate BFF by the arm to hold him back before he could do more to the red-bearded groper. Groper smirked at them.

"Yeah, _Jaime_ , listen to the big woman." But it seemed that Jaime had no intention to do that. He tried to shrug Brienne's grip off. She held on tighter in return.

"Just go away!" She hissed at the guy dressed as a wight. He looked at them for a long moment, clearly bemused, before he finally shrugged.

"I guess we wouldn't work anyway. I'm a real man, you seem to prefer boys."

As he was walking off, Brienne had to exert quite some of her considerable strength to hold Jaime back from following him.

"Will you calm down finally? They're gonna kick us out if you get in a fight," she said, not without exasperation.

"So?" Jaime returned, still agitated.

"And then we've travelled all this way for nothing."

"He put his hands on you!"

"I'm aware of that. I was handling it."

"Well, you were taking too long!" Jaime said, finally getting out from Brienne's grip and turning to face her.

"I was handling it," Brienne repeated, "Just because I don't apply the attack first-think later theme like you do, doesn't mean I can't take care of things myself. I would've let him have some words."

"Yeah, he seemed like a real intellectual, willing to have a proper talk about boundaries with you. Seriously, Brienne?! Get real!" Jaime scoffed, his green eyes flashing angrily.

"Hang on! Why are you mad at me now?"

"You basically cut off my nuts in front of that dude!"

"We're never going to see him again!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better. And still kinda nutless!"

Brienne shook her head in disbelief.

"Calm down. Besides, if me stepping in is cutting off your nuts, what is you stepping in before I even got the chance to handle the situation myself then? Cutting off my ovaries?"

"Chivalry?"

Now Brienne scoffed.

"Your ego more like."

"Excuse me? I was trying to protect you!"

"Protect me? If you wanna be a caveman, be a caveman, but own it and don't put it on me! I would've been perfectly capable of dealing with this guy myself. I'm not some damsel in distress, you know? I don't need a shining knight to fight my battles for me. I would, however, appreciate the chance to fight them myself. I've been doing that since long before I ever knew you."

"That doesn't mean I can't stand up for you."

"And I appreciate that you're willing to do so. But be honest, if you guys would've traded blows, it would've been about you two, not about me. Point in case: you're mad because you feel I've stepped on your manly toes, not because he grabbed my ass."

"Wrong. Forget my toes and my nuts, this is about you and his hand where it has no business being," Jaime replied, craning his neck around to see if the wight was still in the vicinity after all. Brienne shook her head. She was getting mad now, too. Why couldn't he let it go when she was the one it had happened to? He was acting like.. _no._ He would never want to wear that particular pair of shoes, so better not think in that direction. She needed to get a grip. She needed to calm down. She needed to....be away from this situation right now.

"You know, I've been looking forward to this con for months and I'm not going to let your mood spoil my fun. You can come find me when you're not overdosing on your own testosterone anymore."

Jaime whipped his head around, looking at her. "Bee, no. I--"

"We clearly both need a breather right now."

And that being said, Brienne turned and stalked off before Jaime could get in another word.

***

About ten minutes later, Brienne was already feeling bad about walking off. After telling Jaime he was overreacting, she'd gone and done exactly the same, definitely contributing to spoiling the fun they'd been having for the majority of the day so far. And why? It wasn't like they'd never butted heads before, after all. They'd surely had their little spats here and there before, it was just par for the course with two people that quite liked being right and also having their own mind and opinion, but neither of them had actually ever stormed off before. Usually, they were good about agreeing to disagree, seeing as it was an option which always allowed each party to secretly maintain that they were right. Also, Jaime and herself were both stubborn people, convincing either of something they didn't believe in took time and effort most little fights weren't worth.

So why had she stormed off? It wasn't that she felt that Jaime had ruined a chance with that redhead for her. She didn't want one, for starters. The guy had been more than mildly gross. It also wasn't that she was truly insulted that he'd stood up for her; not having been blessed with an overabundance of friends throughout her life, it was actually a nice change to know that someone had your back. It was just the manner in which he'd gone about it, all caveman-like. All... _boyfriend-like_. Something he wasn't and would never want to be. But that was not something he could be blamed for, just like she couldn't be blamed for having that kind of feelings he didn't reciprocate. Why did that have to happen to her? She finally had made a great friend, and then her stupid heart set out to sabotage it. Once the convention was over, it was definitely time to have a sitdown with herself to have a serious think about the whole situation. Apparently she wasn't quite as good at pushing her feelings to the back burner as she'd thought, if a little innocent overreaction from Jaime could send her reeling like that because he hadn't meant it in the way she would've liked. Maybe it was time to put a little distance between them until her heart had caught up with what her head had been saying from the start. The thought alone made Brienne's stomach clench painfully. No, this was just a one-off. It was the love songs on the drive and the hand holding since they'd arrived. Those things had made her brain go all topsyturvy. Tomorrow she'd have herself under control again. Right?

"You seem lost. I can help. Care to know your fortune?" The voice of a woman broke into Brienne's thoughts. She blinked twice and when her gaze focused, she saw an older woman with wild and unruly curls across from her, leaning against the doorpost of a tent. Looking around, Brienne realized she'd wandered quite a bit, and had no idea where exactly in the hall she actually was right now.

"Uh...thank you, but I'm good," She finally replied, preparing to turn around and go back to where she'd last seen Jaime.

"You don't look like you are good. Come in my tent, I will tell you your future. No more confusion," The woman persisted, making a 'come here' gesture with her hand.

"Listen, miss..?" Brienne began.

"Mirri."

"Okay. Mirri. Fine. We're at a fan convention. And I do understand that you're trying to make some money like all the other vendors, but fortune-telling is not a thing, alright?"

"Then what have you got to lose?" The woman countered.

"I don't know. How much are you charging?"

"For you, I will make an exception. I will read your future for free."

"That's not necessary."

"It's very necessary. You say fortune-telling is a fraud. I prove you wrong. It's...matter of honor now."

"Honor?"

"Yes, my honor."

"I..." Brienne sighed. She hadn't meant to insult Mirri. "Okay..." She said, resigned.

"Good. Come, child."

Beckoning Brienne to step into the tent, Mirri walked backwards, disappearing inside. Jaime would've probably said it was the perfect moment to escape, but Brienne didn't have that in her. She'd said okay, she'd see it through. So she followed. Inside, Mirri was already sitting at a small round table. Brienne looked around. It looked a lot less gaudy then she would've expected from a fortune-teller. There were no thick, cloying, clouds of burning incense in the air, no weird runes on tapestries, no black cat lurking in the shadows.

"I don't even know what fandom you're supposed to be a part of," Brienne said as she sat down across from Mirri.

"None. And all. Now, before looking at the future, let me look at your past. Just to prove I'm no fraud," the self-declared fortune-teller said, lighting a thick green candle.

"Look, I'm sorry for implying--" Brienne began, but Mirri waved her off.

"Give me your hand."

Right. Best to get it just over with. Brienne wiped her hand on the leg of her jeans, just in case it might be sweaty, and held it out towards Mirri. The small woman gripped it and turned it over to look at the palm.

"Hmmm..." She made. And then again. And a third time, tracing lines in her palm with her index finger. Brienne wasn't sure if anything was supposed to happen or not, but it didn't seem like Mirri was getting anything from her hand. She waited for a minute or two, and just as she'd decided to pull her hand back and end this, obviously failed, experiment, Mirri looked up, a gleam in her eyes.

"You have known loss."

Well, while that was true, it was hardly a revelation. Most people had lost something or someone, it was practically a 50:50 chance to get it right. Her scepticim must've shown clearly on Brienne's face, because Mirri continued.

"You are an only child. But you weren't always. I see water. You lost someone in water."

Galladon. Her brother. He'd drowned in the waters surrounding their home island of Tarth when he'd been eight and she'd been four. That was somehow written in her hand? Brienne's eyebrows flew up and she leaned forward, trying to maybe see what Mirri saw.

"Your mother too. Not in water, but a loss."

Another correct statement. Brienne held her breath.

"There is solitude in your past. That is why you love books."

A youth spent perusing the local library while others went to parties or dates flashed before Brienne's inner eye. She'd always found a story to lose herself in. Books were safe, they couldn't leave you or die on you.

"How am I faring so far?" Mirri asked with a smirk, as if she knew exactly she had been spot on with her tellings, "Still think I am a fraud?"

"I...how did you do that?"

"I have the gift since I was a little girl." Mirri replied with a shrug, finally letting go of Brienne's hand. She got up and went to a small side table, retrieving a deck of cards, while Brienne sat there, astounded, tracing the lines in her palm with her own fingers.

"Now let's see about the future." She shuffled the cards and then, after asking Brienne to shuffle them twice herself, began laying them out in a pattern on the table.

"Mhhh....yes,yes..."

"What?" Brienne asked, leaning forward again to look at the cards.

"Happiness is closer than you think."

"It is?"

"Yes, you will have a promotion within two years. And what's more: romance is waiting for you. You already have met the man."

Okay, apparently the cards weren't as reliable as the palm reading. Davos Seaworth, the head librarian in her library was not even close to being old enough to retire. And romance? The only one remotely interested in her had been the creepy wight-groper and that was certainly not going to happen ever.

"I don't think so," Brienne said, quickly coming back to reality and leaning back in her seat.

"Yes, yes, you have. He will give you his heart. It is crystal clear. He's the right one. I see a great love. One for the ages."

"Anything else?"

Mirri was clearly overselling and laying it on thick now that she could be vague. Probably saw Brienne hitting the lottery jackpot too.

"A pet. A...dog, I think."

So no lottery jackpot. Too bad. She could've used it to buy a place where she could actually have a dog. Her landlord didn't even allow fish or birds in the building.

"Well," Brienne said, wanting to end this before it became even more outlandish, "that has been most enlightening, but I have to go now. Thank you." She couldn't bring herself to say something cutting. Besides, Mirri had been spot on about the past. Maybe the woman should just stick with palm reading. Whatever gift she had, it clearly lay there.

"So, no fraud, yes?" Mirri asked with a knowing smile, before gathering her cards again, "Fortune telling is...what did you say again...a thing?"

"It's definitely..something." Brienne agreed. Again, it was just the future part where Mirri had been off.

"How much do I owe you?"

"No, no. I said free."

"But I kept you from real customers."

"No matter. Please, I insist. Honor is priceless."

Brienne got up from her chair. Well, if she insisted..

Leaving the tent, she pulled her phone out to check the time. She'd turned it off earlier and had completely forgotten to switch it on again. Now that she did, she was surprised to realize she'd been gone for almost an hour now and had several texts from Jaime. Now she felt bad again, this time for making him worry. Brienne quickly pulled out the map of the hall again and picked a good meeting spot, before texting him to meet there and then hurrying there herself.

When she got to the sitting area she'd picked, he was already sitting on a bench, waiting for her, looking around him again and again.

"Hey," Brienne opened as she stepped into his view.

"Bee!" Jaime exclaimed, a look of relief spreading over his face, "Jeez, I've texted my fingers bloody. Why didn't you reply?"

"Forgot I had turned it off," Brienne admitted sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that."

"So it wasn't you giving me the cold shoulder on purpose?"

"No, of course it wasn't."

"Oh. Okay then. If it wasn't intentional.."

"It really wasn't, I wasn't thinking, is all," Brienne said, plopping down on the bench next to Jaime.

"I thought maybe because of our fight.."he muttered.

"I wouldn't do that to you."

"Look, I'm sorry about..before."

"Me too."

"The guy rubbed me wrong and I shouldn't have taken that out on you."

"I shouldn't have run off like that. We're here to have fun and I kinda ruined that."

"No more than I did. So, we're good?"

"Yeah. I just needed to...you know. But we're good now."

And it was that easy. They had apologized for getting mad at each other, and anything else was not for here and now to sort out. More like back at home and alone, maybe with a bottle of wine at hand.

"Because I have something for you, but I don't want to give it to you unless we're good. Don't want you to think I'm trying to bribe you."

"You don't have to get me anything."

"I know. But I wanted to. It was one of those 'I saw it and I knew I had to get it for you' - moments."

"Well, I did have my eye on that purple troll plushie earlier.." Brienne joked.

"Ah, in that case, I must disappoint, my lady. It's something more of a solid nature." Reaching into his jacket's pocket, Jaime pulled out a flat cardboard box, about ten inches long. He held it out to her, and Brienne took it. Pulling off the lid, she couldn't help but gasp quietly before a huge smile spread on her face. It was a letter opener, a small replica of _Defender_ , Alysanne's sword. Brienne lifted it from the box to examine it. The detailing was fantastic. There were actual crystals set into the small hilt, not some plastic bits.

"Gosh Jaime, you shouldn't have! It's too expensive."

"Not for you to worry about. Besides, I may be slumming it as a teacher, but I'm still a stinking rich Lannister."

"Still, it's..it's beautiful, but it's too much. Don't you want to keep it for yourself?"

"Nah. This is yours. It will always be yours. Besides, I reckon I'll have visitation rights."

"Absolutely. Thank you!"

Making a plan to sneak away tomorrow some time to find a gift for Jaime in return, Brienne turned the letter opener over again, perusing it from the other side. The back side was just as detailed. There was even the heart-shaped patch in the hilt that Alysanne...wait a second. _Heart-shaped_? Before she could help it, Mirri's words flashed in Brienne's mind. _You have already met the man. He will give you his heart. A great love. One for the ages._ Awesome. Here she went again, being sabotaged by her foolish heart that immediately started to beat faster over a stupid false prediction from the fortune-teller. There was going no promotion, or dog or great love in her future, dammit. Well, the promotion maybe, but not for a long while, anyway. She needed to forget about all of that, as soon as possible, preferably right now.

"You okay?" Jaime asked, having apparently picked up on her weirdness, "you look kinda tense."

"Fine. Just..nothing," Brienne said, putting the letter opener back into the cardboard box, making sure the side without the patch was on top.

"Tell me anyway."

"It's stupid."

"I live for stupid and you so rarely indulge me," Jaime tried to persuade her to share.

"While I was wandering off I met this fortune-teller.." Brienne began, once more in her life cursing her inability to lie.

"Really? I didn't think you bought into that sort of nonsense."

"I don't."

"Okay, what did she say that has you all tensed up?"

She didn't want to tell him, so she went with something else.

"Apparently, I'm getting a dog."

"And you're allergic? You don't like dogs?"

"No, I love dogs."

"Then that can't be it," Jaime correctly deduced, "What else did she say?"

"Well..." The revelation that maybe, someday, she might take over Davos' job wasn't going to satisfy Jaime's nosiness either. He would keep nagging until she told him, he was good at that, and she unfortunately did not have the talent to make up something on the spot. Well, maybe they could at least get a good laugh out of it. Looking down at her hands still holding the cardboard box with the letter opener, Brienne decided to just get it over with, kind of like ripping off a band-aid.

"I just...she told me someone was going to give me his heart and the sword has a heart patch and I couldn't help thinking of that when I saw it. It's funny, really, I don't even know why I got weird about it. She's clearly gotten everything wrong. I'm not even allowed to have a pet and you're the one that gave me this sword with the patch and you and I are.. _so_ not that."

"Oh."

It was the tone in Jaime's voice that made Brienne's head snap up to gaze at him. He'd sounded truly sad and once she saw his face, the expression on it was matching. Brienne looked at him questioningly and to her surprise saw Jaime getting all flustered.

"Jaime?" She asked after a long moment of silence.

"Would it be so horrible?" He finally spoke up, looking at his hands, picking at his cuticles.

"What?" Brienne asked. Her mouth was completely dry all of a sudden.

"Being _that_. With me. Being an us." Jaime elaborated.

"What? No! That's not what I meant."

"Well, what did you mean? I mean, you sounded pretty determined just then when you said we're *so* not that. I thought..maybe.."

"I just meant that..it wasn't meant to be a slight against you. I mean, how ridiculous would that be? You're great. You're kind, and funny..and good-looking. I would be happy to be with someone like you. It's not you, it's me. And I'm not talking shit about myself, I'm not. I do believe that I deserve love and all that, but why would you ever fall in love with me when you can have the whole world? Someone pretty, someone that is witty, someone that is everything I'm not."

"Maybe because I don't want any of that? Because I want someone that keeps me on my toes, someone that can make me laugh, someone who makes me feel at home wherever I am as long as I'm with her? I want a woman that can burp half the alphabet and wears fuzzy socks with dragons on them. A woman that is as big a nerd as I am. One that tries to sneak the mushrooms on her pizza onto mine when she thinks I'm not looking. A woman with the bluest eyes I have ever seen and the most amazing pair of legs. There is only one woman like that in the world, and it's you. You're the one I want, Brienne. And I don't have to fall in love with you first, I've fallen a long time ago. I mean, fuck, I made a playlist of love songs and an idiot of myself singing along for you to maybe warm up to the idea."

"But--wha--ho--wh--" No matter which direction Brienne's thoughts galloped off to, they seemed unable to string enough letters for a coherent word together. Jaime did not seem to suffer from the same problem, in fact it seemed as if a dam had broken, because his words just kept tumbling out.

"I never said anything because I didn't want to fuck up the best friendship I've ever had," Jaime continued, "Gods know I still don't want that. And I get that my timing is shit, that this is not a conversation to be had at FanCon of all places, but I also can't keep it to myself forever and now that we're already begun talking about it.. I don't ever want to lose you as a friend, Bee, but I will not apologize for wanting so much more than that. I was going to tell you eventually, because I think the possibility of us is worth the risk. I'm taking that risk now. I'm putting it on the table. I want to be with you. I am giving you my heart. Break it if you want, but it's still yours."

"I.." Words still failed her, it seemed. Brienne held up her hand to signal for Jaime to give her a moment to maybe, hopefully, manage to get out a complete sentence after all. There were so many thoughts in her head, all vying to be acknowledged first. _He's in love with me...Mirri was right... he loves me back...I want to kiss him...he loves me...I love him_.

"I have no intention of breaking your heart, ever," Was the thought that ultimately won the battle in her mind.

"You don't?" Jaime grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. It made her feel secure and finally able to find more words. It wasn't so hard now.

"And while I'm taking care of yours, will you have mine?"

"Bee.." Jaime whispered, the most beautiful smile spreading on his face, his eyes getting glassy. He brought his other hand up to gently cup her cheek. "I want that more than anything."

"Because I'm in love with you too," Brienne finished, her own eyes getting watery.

The next thing she knew, Brienne found herself in Jaime's arms. He'd surged forward to engulf her in the tightest, warmest, best hug. She eagerly returned it, and if anyone ever asked later, she wouldn't be able to say who the sniffles had come from. When they finally leaned away from each other again, they were grinning like a pair of idiots. Which they apparently were. Idiots in love, that is.

Jaime's gaze wandered down to her look at her lips, full of longing. He'd been so bold, laying it all out, Brienne decided she was going to be bold too, right now. She wanted the same, anyway. Letting her hands that were still loosely wrapped around his waist travel up, she ran her fingertips through his hair before locking them gently behind his head. Closing her eyes, she leaned in, anticipating that dizzying sensation of their lips meeting for the very first time.

There was going to be all the time in the world for superheated kisses, this first one was probably quite tame compared to all the possibilities, but it felt right and perfect for the moment to keep it slow and unhurried. Jaime's lips were soft and warm and moved against her own with delicious pressure. His own hands tightened around her waist as he pulled her closer against himself. Brienne couldn't say how long they sat on that bench, separating only long enough to breathe before continuing to kiss. It was definitely some time before they finally separated their lips for the moment. Biting her lip, she looked shyly at Jaime who looked quite dazed.

"Damn.." was all that he whispered. Brienne was inclined to wholeheartedly agree. It wouldn't have been hard at all to persuade her to another kiss, but before she could try to initiate that, Jaime jumped off the bench, holding out his hand to her once more.

"Come on," he said.

"Where are we going?" Brienne asked, while she was already putting her hand into his and got up as well.

"We're going to find that fortune-teller of yours. I want to know when we'll get that dog."

"Jaime..." Brienne chuckled.

"What? The woman clearly is a genius. I need to know how many bedrooms I have to consider for our future kids once we move in together, because I'm not hauling all my shit through several moves."

With anyone else, Brienne would've had a warning sign of 'too much too soon' flashing up. As it was, she just shook her head with a smile before simply walking ahead to show Jaime to Mirri's tent. After all, she was quite curious too. The future with him was no reason to panic, hypothetical kids or not. Not when she already had it on good authority that theirs was a great love for the ages.

**Author's Note:**

> Even if this wasn't christmasy, I still would like to wish you all happy holidays.  
> Thank you for reading!


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